COLUMBUS, OH -Ohio’s popular deer-gun season opens statewide on Monday, November 28. Deer hunters will see some of the most liberal deer hunting regulations ever offered, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.

“Our regulations are designed to reduce the overall deer population in the majority of Ohio,” said Steven A. Gray, chief of the Division of Wildlife. “Liberal regulations on the taking of does, combined with the state’s reputation for quality deer, make Ohio a great place to hunt.”

The deer-gun season will be open from Monday, November 28, through Sunday, December 4, from one half-hour before sunrise to sunset. With a pre-hunting season population estimate of 650,000 white-tailed deer, the Division of Wildlife anticipates a kill of 120,000 to 130,000 deer during the week-long hunt. Approximately 400,000 hunters are expected to participate in this year’s season, including a record number of out-of-state hunters.

Ohio is divided into three deer hunting zones. A limit of one deer may be taken in Zone A (20 counties). Hunters may take a second deer in Zone B (30 counties) by purchasing an additional deer permit. A total of three deer may be harvested in eastern and southeastern Ohio’s Zone C (38 counties). Hunters may purchase up to four urban deer permits to take antlerless deer only within the designated urban deer zones located around Columbus, Cleveland, Akron, Youngstown, Toledo, Dayton, and Cincinnati.

Hunters may take only one antlered deer, regardless of zone, hunting method or season. A deer permit is required in addition to a valid Ohio hunting license.

Additional hunting regulations and maps of the state's deer zones are contained in the 2005-2006 Ohio Hunting Regulations. This free publication is available wherever hunting licenses are sold, online at ohiodnr.com or by calling 1-800-WILDLIFE.

During the 2004-05 deer hunting season, Ohio recorded 14 deer racks scoring more than 200 Boone and Crockett points each. In comparison, Pennsylvania has only five deer in the Boone and Crockett record book scoring over 200 since 1950.

Evidence of Ohio’s quality deer herd is reflected in the Buckeye Big Buck Club, which has recorded more than one-half of its top 20 entries for both typical and non-typical deer during the last 10 years.

Ohio’s trophy bucks have also gained national attention. The famous 39-point Beatty Buck was taken in Greene County in the fall of 2000. With a rack score of 304 6/8, it stands as the world's largest non-typical, white-tailed deer ever taken by a bow hunter. A typical white-tailed deer killed last fall in Warren County, known as the Jerman Buck, became an Ohio record with a score of 201 1/8.

The white-tailed deer is the most popular game animal in Ohio, frequently pursued by generations of hunters. Deer hunting contributes an estimated $266 million to the state’s economy each year and helps to support thousands of jobs. Venison is delicious and nutritious meat, low in fat and cholesterol. It is the number one wild game served by hunters in Ohio.

Deer hunters also contribute thousands of pounds of venison to organizations that help feed less-fortunate Ohioans through special programs.